New plaque unveiled on Farnham’s Wall of Notable Names

Roger Remington, the Farnham-born engineer whose leadership helped transform London’s water infrastructure, has been honoured with the unveiling of a plaque bearing his name on Farnham’s Wall of Notable Names.

The ceremony which took place in August, recognised Roger’s outstanding engineering career and his lifelong connection to Farnham. Educated at Farnham Grammar School, Roger later earned a Civil Engineering degree from Portsmouth Polytechnic in 1973, before completing further professional and management studies, including Harvard’s Advanced Management Programme at Templeton College, Oxford.

For much of his career, Roger worked for Thames Water, where he became Project Director of the London Water Ring Main. The 80-kilometre ring of tunnels, reaching depths of up to 80 metres beneath London, was one of the capital’s most ambitious infrastructure projects of the modern era. The tunnels carry water from the reservoirs and treatment works on London’s outskirts to wherever it is needed in the city.

Roger led the project from design through construction and into operation, building and directing the team responsible for delivering it. His innovative approach included introducing a target-price contract and fast procurement processes, helping the £248 million programme finish two years ahead of schedule and under budget.

His determination and creative problem-solving were particularly evident at the Tooting Bec section of the tunnel, where difficult ground conditions were overcome through ground-freezing techniques and the deployment of an additional tunnel-boring machine from Canada.

Completed after seven years of construction, the Ring Main was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in November 1994. It continues to supply millions of London customers and provided the foundations for major water infrastructure projects that followed. Roger’s contribution was recognised in 1993 with the British Tunnelling Society’s James Clark Medal.

The Mayor of Farnham, Councillor Graham White said: “It is a privilege to see Roger Remington’s name added to Farnham’s Wall of Notable Names. Roger achieved something remarkable: he helped build infrastructure that serves millions of people, while remaining deeply connected to the town he called home. His engineering excellence, leadership, humour and generosity have left a lasting legacy, and it is fitting that Farnham should honour him in this way.”

Roger went on to manage major water projects internationally in Puerto Rico, Egypt and Turkey, while also helping develop PROFISY, a project financial management system used on projects in the UK and overseas. He remained committed to collaborative approaches to engineering and project delivery.

Friends and colleagues remember Roger as warm, generous and full of humour. He was also a supporter of WaterAid, reflecting his lifelong commitment to improving access to clean water and sanitation.

Roger passed away in April 2023. His wife, Bernice, attended the unveiling, alongside friends, colleagues and members of the Old Farnhamians’ Association.

To find out more about the people on the Notable Names wall and their achievements, visit www.farnham.gov.uk/notablenames.